Walgreens Deals

*waves*

So its been awhile since my last post but I'm hoping to get back into sharing great tips for living well, without breaking the budget.  and I've got a great post to get back into the swing of things.

Yesterday I went to Walgreens and managed to get everything you see below for a whopping 1.94 including tax (and two packages of cookies even managed to not make it into the photo!)

I got:

• 5 bags of chex mix
• 1 bottle of Purex Laundrey Detergent
• 1 bottle of Herbal Essence Shampoo
• 1 bottle of Herbal Essence Conditioner
• 1 box of Biore blackhead strips
• 1 bottle of Biore face clearing scrub
• 1 box of Puff tissues
• 2 individual packages of madelline cookies (not pictures)

Check Mix was 3/$3 but if you bought 5 you got a $3 Catalina back.  I also had 5 coupons for .50 cents off each bag so I paid 2.50 and got 3.00 back!

The Purex was on sale 1.99 plus I had a coupon for 1.00 off so I paid .99

The Herbal Essence shampoo and condition was on sale for 2/$6 and you got 2$ Register Regwards when you bought two.  i had two free product coupons from facebook so I paid 0.00 and got 2.00 back!

The Biore strips and facial scrub were on sale for 5.99 each and you got a 5.00 register reward when you bought two.  I had a buy one box of strips get a cleanser free coupon so I paid 5.99 and got 5.00 back.

The box of puffs was on sale for 1.00 and I had .75 off one box so it was .25 cents.

The cookies were not pictures and were on clearance for .25 cents each and I used them as a filler so that I could do mulptiple transactions.  By doing multiple transactions I was able to roll over my register rewards and in the end I spent 4.94 cents but I have a $3 Register Reward left so everything above cost me just 1.94 cents out of pocket!  Score!

Food Find - Crunchy Carob Rise Bar

I love the convenience and portability of protein bars for times when hunger strikes and there is nothing you can or want to eat.

What I don't like however if the chalky taste a lot of them have from the added protein.

Then a few days ago I stumbled across this protein bar at Sprouts and it was amazing.

So far the only flavor I tried was the Crunchy Carob but my mom and I both loved it!  If you've never tried carob you're definitely missing out.  It reminds you of chocolate but is nuttier and less sweet (and contains no caffeine!)

This bar was sort of chewy and dense.  It reminded me of these delicious carob energy nuggets that Whole Foods sells (which are a bit pricey) .

These bars are free of: Gluten, Preservatives, GMOs, Soy, Peanuts + Kosher

They're also pretty light on ingredients.... Almonds, Agave Carob, Powder Whey Protein Isolate, Crisp Rice.

The nutritional Stats are as follows....

Calories - 260

Fat - 15 grams

Carbs - 22 grams

Fiber - 5 grams

Protein - 17 grams

Coconut Banana Mini Muffins

Whenever I see a pile of ripe bananas the first thing I think of is banana bread.  It’s sort of funny really because it’s not something I eat a lot, but I have some vivid memories of my mom’s homemade banana bread growing up.

But now that I’ve given up gluten and am trying to cut back on my sugar, I wasn’t sure what to do with the pile of over ripe bananas on my counter.  Until I realized there was no reason I could still have banana bread.  There were lots of recipes online but they all had ingredients I didn’t have.  So  in typical Janel fashion I went into the kitchen, took out a pile of ingredients and set them all out on my kitchen island.  I then proceeded to create this recipe 100% from scratch.

I ended up making mini muffins instead of a loaf just because it was hot and I wanted to cook them in my toaster oven.

I expected the measurements to possibly need some tweaking since I didn’t base it off anything, but amazingly they came out perfect the first time.  My grandma who doesn’t like gluten free or low sugar foods ate 5 of these mini muffins.  In fact my husband, who usually wont try my creations, even though they were yummy!

You don't need to be gluten free to try these amazing little muffins.  They're lower in carbs than traditional muffins would be, they're free of refined sugar, high in fiber, and full of delicious flavor.  Seriously, you've got to try these yummy little muffins!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond meal

2 TBS ground flax meal

3 TBS unsweetened, finely flaked coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 TBS coconut oil, melted

15 drops liquid stevia

1.  In a medium bowl combine banana, liquid stevia, egg and melted coconut.  Mix very well.

2.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredient to wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

3.  Spoon into a mini muffin pan.  These are going to have a tendency to stick so I suggest coating the pan well, or using mini muffin liners.  Either will work.

4.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18minutes until browned on top.  These taste better just a tad over done as opposed to under done.

5.  Let cool and enjoy!

Green Power Smoothie

I love fruits and vegetables, but sometimes it can be hard to get a lot of them in early in the morning - especially thr vegetables!

I'd seen green smoothies around the internet before but had always been a bit turned off.  Spinach in my fruit smoothie... I thought are you crazy?! 

I did think it was crazy too.  Until I tried it for myself and realized it's genius!  I tinkered around with it and the following is my favorite version.  It's sweet, fruity, tangy, creamy, filling, delicious and you absolutely cannot taste the spinach.  I promise!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 cups spinach

1/2 small banana, frozen

1/3 cup strawberries, frozen

1/3 cup pineapple, frozen

3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in your blender.  I like to put my liquid on the bottom, then the spinach and all the frozen fruit and ice on top.

As a side note, if you don't have a high power blender like a vitamix or a ninja you may need to blend it a few seperate times.  I put my ninja on and blend it for about 2 minutes straight and it is the creamiest smoothie in the world.  If your blender isn't that strong though, you may want to blend it and then rest it a minute before blending it again so you don't burn out your motor.

Then just pour in a tall glass and enjoy!

Microwave Muffin

This recipe is for a super simple muffin made in the microwave.

It can be made in just one minute, is single serving, low carb, gluten free, packed with protein and delicious.  Seriously...what more could you want?

I didn't invent the idea.  It's been all over the internet for years, largely in low-carb communities actually.  However the original is higher in fat and calories because it uses the entire egg and real butter and it uses splenda.  so I made it a little bit healthier, but still delicious and easy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flax meal

1 TBS cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. coconut oil, melted

2 egg whites

5 drops liquid stevia (not pictured, oops)

1. First melt the coconut oil for a few seconds in a standard size coffee cup.  It helps later so you don't get any clumps of oil in your muffin.
2. Add in the cinnamon, flax and baking powder and liquid stevia directly the same coffee cup.
3. In a seperate bowl crack both eggs and seperate leaving just the whites.  Then add them to the coffee cup and stir very well.

* If you don't have liquid splenda you can add in your favorite sweetner.  I've not personally tested it out but I think maple syrup or honey would be delicious in this recipe.  It's pretty adaptable.



Now you're going to microwave the muffin for about a minute.  sometiems you may need an extra 5-10 seconds just to make sure its completely done.  You won't need to grease the cup at all because the fat content in the coconut oil and flax will allow the muffin to slide right out of the cup once it's cooked.

The muffin is actually pretty fun looking right out of the cup.  All tall and puffy and just begging you to dig in.

The best thing about this muffin is how versitile it is.  I like to let it cool a little and slice it into pretty little rounds.  You can eat it plain or top it with nut butter. All fruit spread or one of my favorites ligth cream cheese.  no matter what you put on it though you're guaranteed to enjoy it!

Shopping Trip - Target

This was a shopping trip from last week that i never got around to sharing, but the deals are all still good (if you happen to have any of the same coupons).

One Touch Ultra Mini Meters x 2 -

• Original Price 19.99....Sale Price 9.99
• I used two manufacturers coupons each for 10.00 off one making them both FREE plus .01 cents overage on each one

Banana Boat Travel Size sunscreen -

• Priced at .97 cents
• I had a Target coupon for 1.00 off any banana boat sunscreen (no size restrictions) so this was FREE!

Coppertone Water Babies Travel Sized Sunscreen -

• Priced at .97 cents
• I had a Target coupon for 1.00 off any coppertone suncreen (no size restriction) so this was FREE!

Johnson & Johnson Travel Size First Aid Kit -

• Priced at 1.02
• I used one manufaturers coupon good for 1.00 off any johnson and johnson first aid product so this was .02 cents!

Calidad tortilla Chips -

• Original price was 1.89...sale price was 1.50
• I had a manufactuers coupon (the kind that print at the register) for 1.00 off these chips so they were only .50 cents!

Merona Women's Shirt -

• Original price was 12.99....clearance was 4.48
• I had one Target coupon for 3.00 off any Merona apparel item so this shirt was only 1.48 cents!

Aquafresh Extreme Clean Travel Sized Toothpaste -

• priced at .97 cents
• I had a target coupon for 1.50 off any aquash extreme clean (no size restriction).  normally target coupons automatically adjust down if the purchase price is less than the coupon, but for some reason this coupon beeped and the cashier had to manullay enter it and he took off the full 1.50 so this toothpaste was FREE plus .53 cents overage.  (*note that normally you will never get any kind of overage off target coupons)

So my grand total for everything picture was a whopping 1.45 cents plus tax!

Plus I have a Target Red Card so I get an additional 5% off all my Target purchases which makes all my couponing there just a tad bit sweeter. :)

Just a heads up...on May 23 you can get a free Slurpee at 7-11. 

Very fun freebie if you've got kids (or just love slurpees).  You've got to love that they're coming out with some that are going to have less sugar too.  Awesome!

This May, 7-Eleven will officially launch Slurpee Lite, a new sugar-free category of Slurpee. Slurpee Lite is a great alternative for those watching their waistlines with 50% fewer calories than an 8 oz. Wild Cherry flavored Slurpee drink. The launch of Slurpee Lite marks the first sugar-free Slurpee drink to be available at participating 7-Eleven stores nationwide.

Flavored by Fanta, Slurpee Lite will make its debut in May with Slurpee Lite Fanta Sugar-Free Mango. Typically, limited-release Slurpee flavors are kept top-secret until they become available in the stores, but now Slurpee fans can mark their calendars so they can be first in line when each featured flavor hits 7-Eleven stores. The additional Slurpee flavors coming this summer: Fanta Watermelon Lime in June; Slurpee Lite Fanta Sugar-Free Strawberry Banana and Fanta Lemon Crème in July; and Slurpee Lite Fanta Sugar-Free Cherry Limeade and Fanta Orange Xplosion in August.

To celebrate the launch of Slurpee Lite and kick-off summer , 7-Eleven is inviting everyone in for free 7.11 oz. Slurpee on May 23, aka SlurpFREE Day, from 11:00AM to 7:00PM.

Recipe - Oatmeal Banana Power Pancakes

This is a great breakfast for anyone.

Whether you’re looking to cut out gluten, refined sugars or lower your calories, or because you just want something yummy and healthy for breakfast.

I’d seen recipes for oatmeal pancakes but none of them came out good so I set out to create my own, that would be as packed with flavor as it was with nutrition and I think I did just that!

　

I’m calling this my…..

　

Oatmeal Banana Power Pancakes

Ingredient:

2 egg whites

1/2 banana, smashed

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

2 tsps. raw hemp seeds

2 tsps. ground flax

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 drops liquid stevia

1. In a small bowl combine all dry ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl mash the banana very well. Add in liquid stevia and vanilla. Add in egg whites.

3. Combine all wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.

4. In a large skillet form 3-4 small pancakes. Cook about 2-3 minutes until they easily move about and then flip. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. These taste better slightly over done as opposed to underdone because of the banana and egg. Make sure to coat the pan lightly first so they do not stick.

5. Serve and enjoy!

　

Notes:
* If you don’t like Stevia or don’t use it this can easily be substituted with a sweetener of your choice. Though I haven’t personally tried I think maple syrup or raw honey would taste amazing. The banana also has a lot of natural sweetness so depending on your taste preference you might be able to omit it completely.

* Another substitute I’ve made if you don’t have hemp seeds is to omit them and use a full TBS of ground flax and it taste just as delicious.
         * If you want this recipe to be gluten free make sure you use gluten free oats.

Recipe - Turkey Taco Chili

Last week my dinner plans were ruined at the last minute. So I had no choice but to look in the fridge and figure out what I could make. I quickly took inventory and realized I could make some kind of chili. I browsed several recipes but nothing sounded just right so I decided to wing and make my own.

I’ll be the first to admit not all of my cooking adventures come out great, but this one was fantastic!

This chili is hearty and flavorful. It’s got all the comforts of a bowl of chili with the great flavors of Mexican food. It’s fast, easy and healthy. In fact my husband, who is not usually a big fan of ground turkey even gave this recipe two thumbs up.

　

Turkey Taco Chili

　

20 oz ground 93/7 turkey (raw weight)

½ cup finely minced onion

3-4 stalks of celery, finely minced

1 cup minced green bell pepper

1 4oz can fire roasted green chiles

1 can black beans, drained

1 large (28oz) can crushed tomatoes

28 oz water

1 cup corn (note - I used fresh corn on the cob but you could definitely use frozen)

1 TBS olive oil

2 TBS chili powder

1 TBS onion powder

1 TBS garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano

　

1. In a large sauce pot cook onion, bell pepper and celery in olive oil until onions become translucent. Then add in the ground turkey and green chilies. As the turkey is cooking add in all dry spices (I personally like to season the meat as opposed to the entire pot, I find the flavor disperses better).

2. Once the meat is cooked through add in crushed tomatoes, water, corn and black beans. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for an additional 45 - 60 minutes.

3. Enjoy!

　

I personally topped ours with green onions and fresh cilantro (as you can see in the picture). Another time I topped it with sour cream and queso fresco which was really delicious. This would also be delicious poured over a baked potato or served with a side of corn bread or warm tortillas.

This is the first recipe I’ve made where not a drop of leftovers was wasted. We ate this for days and still wished for more. Definitely give this recipe a try, you wont be disappointed!

Progress, Not Perfection

So along with continuing struggle with my weight is my continuing struggle with food. I swear the more I read the less I know. Every single book, or dr. or holistic food expect says something contradictory about what is healthy.

After my failed attempts this week at prune/chia pudding and some really awful cookies made with garbanzo beans instead of wheat I’m done.

I’m not done trying to find awesome, healthy things to eat. I’m just done trying to avoid certain foods, or food groups.

I know its not easy, but I’m definitely a food addict. I often think if I avoid one food group (carbs, refined sugar, processed food, gluten, etc…) that it’ll take away all my desires to eat. The thing is though, I’m not changing a lot in my life so its not a big surprise that my way of dealing with life happiness, stress, boredom, etc..) is the same.

I read once that insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results which if what I’m doing.

Anyway, I always said “oh I’m just not someone who can eat some foods in moderation) which to an extent is true. I know there are some foods that aren’t healthy and I can’t stop eating. But I think its also true that I just need to repair my relationship with food altogether and stop worrying I’m eating the wrong thing.

I don't have any food allergies or reasons to avoid specific foods.

So from now on I'm going to practice more whole foods. More homemade, less processed and always as natural as possible. But if occasionally I slip up and have something else <i>it is ok.</i> I’ve always been an all or nothing person and known it needed to change ubt never took the right steps to change that mindset.

As one of my best friends in the world aptly said...Progress, Not Perfection.

Though many of you may not struggle with weight and food, this is an idea that really transcends issues.

In what ways do you find yourself with an "all or nothing" mentality?  How do you remind yourself of the bigger picture without beating yourself up for small slip-ups along the way?

Shopping Trips

I wanted to share a few of my shopping trips from yesterday.

First I went to Target.

Uncle Ben's Microwave Brown Rice Cups-

• Price 1.02 minus TWO coupons for 1.00 off any Uncle Ben's Brown Rice (no size restriction on coupon).  Made each cup of rice just .02 cents!

Revlon Lash Liner -

• These were clearanced down to 2.30 cents each.  I had a manufacturers coupon for 5.00 off when when you buy any two Revlon beauty items.  Making both of these FREE. 

Aleve 200 count -

• Priced at 13.99 minus a free product coupon made this FREE

Method Laundry Detergent (8 load bottles)-

• Pried at 2.99 each, then on clearance for 2.54 each.  I had two coupons for 2.00 off any method laundry (from their facebook page, no size restriction on coupon).  Made each bottle just .54 cents!

I also snagged this Liz Lange maternity shirt on clearance for 2.98  I then used a coupon on my Shopkick app for 3.00 off any Liz Lange maternity item at target making this shirt FREE! 

Later I went to Vons.



Three 2-liters of soda -

• Regular price 1.99....sale price .99....price if you're a member of their new just for u program just .59 cents each!  (limit of 3 per transaction valid until May 8th)  This is a great price for soda if you drink it, and it is my weakness.

Two Cans of Starbucks Refreshers Energy Drink -

• Priced at 1.99....sale price 1.49...I had two manufactuerers coupons for one free can so both of these were FREE

Two Open Nature Plain Greek Yogurt -

• On sale for 1.00 each minus two coupons each good for 1.00 off any open nature product made both of these FREE

One Mango -

• On sale for just .25 cents!

Large Bag of Spinach -

• Regular price 2.99...on sale for 2.00

Later when I got home I finished putting away all my stuff and went to check the mail and found this full size bottle of Asprin in my mail.  I love getting full size products for free in the mail!

Overall, a great day for coupons!  I even got a high five from the cashier at Target when I paid (which sort of made me laugh and feel like I was on extreme couponers).  sure not every day has such great scores, but this is a perfect example of why I love coupons.  Using them for certain things (especially toiletriesand cleaners) frees up more money for things there aren't coupons fo like fresh produce.

VitaCost

I'm pretty lucky to live in an area where I can get just about anything I need.  There is an abundance of natural and health food stores within about half an hour of me so I've never had a problem finding an ingredient for a recipe. 

What I have had a problem with, however, is affording certain ingredients.  So I'm definitely always on the lookout for great sales.  I got a score on organic hemp seeds (half off at whole foods a few weeks ago), I got a giant bag of organic ground flax at Costco for 1/4th the cost of the local health stores and back on black friday I got about 5 cans of chia seed free about rewards bucks at Walgreens.

Unfortunately certain products don't always have good deals.  In fact some products rarely go on sale and never have coupons.  That's where my love of Vitacost has come in.  They've got just about every ingredient you can think of (basic foods, specialty foods, foods for special diets and allergies, etc..).

The best part is new members get a 10 dollar rewards code for free!  (That's right, 10.00 off 10.00!).  You do have to pay shipping which is about 4.95.  However considering that their prices and accessibility are so good, even paying for shipping is sure to get you a bargain.  They also often run shipping specials if you're patient and wait.

On 4/24 they were running a shipping special for 2.44 cents shipping on any order.  Check out the bargain I got in the mail!

Igot a bottle of Vanilla Creme Stevia for just over 9 dollars (which is amazing since this product retails for 13.99 at Whole Foods).  I also picked up a package of gluten free gravy for just over a dollar and two samples of protein mix (with every order you can get TWO great samples for free).  I ended up getting all of that stuff for under 3.00 which is amazing! 

IThis is my referral link here (and above) so if you guys do place an order I'll get a 10.00 credit too. :)

Shopping Trip - Target

I headed to Target yesterday and got a few coupon items.

Tums Refreshers - Sale price 2.36

• minus a 1.50 off one manufacturers coupon and a .75 off one Target coupon
• Total cost - .11 cents!

Two Gatorade (for the hubby) - Price 1.02 cents each

• minus 1.00 off one Gatorade x 2
• Total cost - .02 cents each plus crv

3 Market Pantry Spaghetti Sauce - Sale price 1.00 each

• I used three coupons each good for 1.00 off one market pantry pasta (these printed out at the register for me on a previous shopping trip, then while shopping yesterday I found one laying on the shelf)
• Total Cost - 0.00!

 Market Pantry Brand Light Mayo - Sale price 2.24 cents

• I had one printable target coupon for 1.00 off a target brand mayo
• Total cost - 1.24 cents

So my grand total for everything yesterday was a whopping  1.39 cents plus CRV and tax.  I love coupons!

Recipe - Crock Pot Cinnamon Honey Applesauce (Refined Sugar Free)

If you read my last post you know I had 3lbs of organic fuji apples that I got for a bargain.  Unfortunately I already had apples in the fridge so I wanted to find a way to use them all up and then it hit me - make applesauce!  (which is delicious...unless its store bought which is not so great). 

I searched the internet and found various crock pot recipes but they all had too much sugar.  So with the basic idea of apples, some liquid and some kind of sweetener and I just winged it and made up my own recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of apples (I used organic fuji)
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 TBS raw honey
• 1/2 tsp liquid stevia

I used 3lbs of organic fuji apples (not all in the picture).

 The next step is to peel them all.

 Then I cored and roughly chopped all the apples into about 1 inch piece and threw in the crock pot.  I also sprinkled them with cinnamon and drizzled with stevia and raw honey then tossed to coat.  Then add in the water.  I cooked it on low for about 7 hours.  I then pureed it with my hand blender but you could easily have put this in a food processor.  Just blend to your desired consistency depending on how chunky or smooth you like it.

Once cooled it will look like this.

It made about 4 cups!  It was incredibly delicious and almost like apple butter mixed with applesauce.

The only note I will make is that this has a VERY strong cinnamon taste.  If you're not a huge cinnamon fan like me I would recommended cutting it down to about 1/2 TBS of cinnamon.

Definitely give this a try.  It's a lot cheaper than store bought applesauce, taste better and is more nutritious!

Shopping Trip: Fresh & Easy and Organic Finds

Had a great find at Fresh & Easy today...

Fresh & Easy now carries an assortment box of organic produce for 10 bucks which is a pretty good deal for organic.  But it got even better....it was on mark down for only 3.50!

The box included:

1 large avocado

1 orange

1 large red bell pepper

1 large onion

1 pound carrots

3 pounds of Fuji apples

1 pound Roma tomatoes

3 pounds potatoes

Definitely an amazing steal for 3.50!  Definitely be sure to always check your grocery store's mark down section.  I don't usually buy marked down meat but often times the produce is good long beyond the mark down date.

Recipe: Gluten Free Cinnmon Pecan Oat Bran Muffins

This recipe was inspired by another oat bran recipe I saw, but as is typical for me I had to change it around to suit my own tastes.

Cinnamon Pecan Oat Bran Muffins

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups oat bran
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 2 TBS Shelled Hemp Seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 TBS ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• dash of salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 whole egg
• 2 TBS light agave syrup
• 1/2 tsp. liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
•  1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Combine all dry ingredients.  Then add in all liquid ingredients.  Mix well.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Calories - 92

Carbs - 16

Fat - 5

Protein - 4

These muffins are incredibly delicious.  The pecans and hemp seeds make them nutty, while the stevia and agave give them a light sweetness.  They are dense without being heavy and make a delicious snack or breakfast with a piece of fruit.

I definitely encourage you all to give them a try!

Trail Mix Anyone?

I admit that I am totally in love with trail mix.  I just love that combination of sweet and salty. 

Unfortunately most of it is too addictive because its got too much  salt (often from roasted nuts) and/or too much sugar (because of the chocolate almost always added in).

Instead I decided to mix up my own single serving container.  By doing it one serving at a time I make sure I can't reach in and munch on it non-stop.

Today I did roasted and salted soy nuts, organic raisins and raw pecans.  It was so good!  I might add another dried fruit next time though.  could use a little more sweetness maybe.

Anyone else make their own mix?  Or have you found a healthy bagged alternative?

Food Find - Ore-Ida Crinkle Sweet Potato Fries

First I have to apologize for my absence from my blog.  My husband and I bought our first home and moved in almost 2 weeks ago and we still don’t have internet (I’m using internet at my grandma’s house today).  I just had to share something I discovered last night though…the most delicious sweet potato fries you will ever taste!

I have to admit that I do love sweet potatoes, but I’ve tried sweet potatoes in the past and was never a big fan of whatever type of coating they’ve used.  Last night though I was making burgers and saw Ore-Ida Crinkle Sweet Potato fries and picked them up for my mom…but when I tried them I was hooked.

The outside has a very light (gluten free) coating that gives them a small crunch while the inside is incredibly creamy and sweet.  We tried them sprinkled with cinnamon and it was heaven on a plate.  They were like little bits of sweet potato pie!  They were also irresistible sprinkled with sea salt and dipped in ketchup.  There is definitely something about the crinkle as opposed to the straight cut too...it just makes them extra tasty.

They’re gluten free, fairly low in calories, contain no trans fats and are high in beta carotene with a decent dose of fiber too.

The nutritional stats are as follows:

Serving Size – 3oz

Calories – 140

Fat – 7 grams

Fiber – 2 grams

Seriously, you guys must give them a try!  I can see these tossed with cinnamon and sugar (or splenda) for dessert, served with eggs for a fun twist on breakfast, a delicious side to burgers or hot dogs or even something fun with BBQ chicken or pork chops.  They are such a versatile side.

Food Find - Special K Protein Plus

I have a confession.  I am a cereal addict.  Healthy, sugar filled, whole wheat, gluten free…I love them all.

I’ve even been caught walking down the cereal aisle “just to look”.  The problem of course is that even healthy cereals don’t always have a lot of staying power, and its very easy to eat more than one serving.  So I usually have to abstain.

I recently picked up a box of Special K Protein Plus Cereal though and was pretty excited by the stats!

Serving Size - 3/4 cup

Calories - 100

Fat - 3 grams

Fiber - 5 grams

Protein - 10 grams

Those are some pretty good stats.  I'm definitely most satisfied by a combo of protein and fiber (the first of which most cereals lack).  

Today I'm enjoying my cereal with sliced bananas, some unsweetened almond milk and a bit of cinnamon.  Delicious! 

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?